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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Don't Let the Old Guard Get Ya Down, by Amy Diegelman

When you start a new job, especially early in your
career, you may have to face the dreaded ‘Old Guard.’ The Old Guard are the
librarians who have been in the field or institution you’re entering, for a
long, long time. They resist all your
ideas, brush off your opinions, and scorn your enthusiasm. (Please note that I
know not all experienced librarians are the Old Guard. Heck, some new
librarians act that way.)

It can be crushingly frustrating, but it isn’t insurmountable.
There are a few things you can try:

Give them their
due - Most (though not all) people aren’t actually evil, malicious,
sabotaging monsters who want you and/or the library to fail. So, regardless of
your personal feelings about your Old Guard, it's important to recognize the
work they have done. Maybe 10 years ago they championed a needed library
remodel. Maybe they were the first in the library to institute some change in
service that we consider a given now. At the very least, they have probably shown
up and done their job with some level of success. They know the library and the
community, even if they feel differently about it than you. Acknowledge these
things, give the Old Guard credit. Not only will this make them more willing to
work with you, it will make you a little less miserable. Hating people is super
exhausting.

Take it slow - It’s
easy to get wrapped up in new ideas and possibilities and want to jump right
in. That’s great! But you have to
remember that you’re the new kid and this team existed before you got here.
Your coworkers probably don’t know much about you, so it will take a little
time for them to trust your judgment and see your strengths. They also need
time to integrate you and your ideas into their normal processes/routines at
work. This is the time to learn, get the essential parts of the job locked
down. If you push huge new ideas and changes before showing that you’re willing
to learn and work, the people who’ve been busting their butts for 20 years
aren’t going to be very interested in investing their time and energy in you.

Involve them - One
of the biggest problems you can run into with the Old Guard is making them feel
(probably unintentionally) like they’re being ousted. Ask for opinions, run
ideas by them before taking it to the boss, ask if there are things in their
departments/interests that could be incorporated into your ideas. This is good
for you, too. They can help you navigate things that would take years to learn
otherwise - community priorities, trustee preferences, administration policies,
etc. Plus, if you have an idea that is going to shake things up, getting even
one member of the Old Guard on your side is going to help sway others.

Reciprocate - You
don’t have to make back-room deals or secret alliances to get the Old Guard on
your side, but you can be supportive. Support people on things that they
clearly feel will be a benefit your organization, even if you are not
particularly passionate about them. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with
everything the Old Guard wants, but when you agree, say so. It will make the
times you disagree easier for them to stomach.

Remember they were
you once, and you might be them - Everyone was new once, including the Old
Guard. So cut them some slack. Remember that things you want to change may be
things that they had to fight for against their own Old Guard. And someday you
may be someone’s Old Guard. We all hope we can retain an openness as time goes
on, but the truth is that everyone gets tired, everyone gets a little set in
their ways, and everyone grows attached to their projects. Consider how you’ll
want to be approached when that time comes. Hopefully any of us who reach these
points will have fresh colleagues come in and shake things up - and hopefully
they’ll remember that we’ve been in their shoes.

Amy Diegelman is a young adult librarian in Massachusetts. You can find her shouting about libraries, teens, and being a big geek on Twitter at @amydieg.